Luciano Barillaro, Consul General of Italy: “The Festival was a real success, with the only downside being its timing; the week after Easter may not be the best for Italian holidaymakers. However, the programming was of great quality, and we will support the efforts of the Directorate of the Nice Cinémathèque and its director, Odile Chapel, whom I already thank, for next year’s edition.”
Last Friday, March 29th, for the closing evening of the week dedicated to the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Nice’s annexation to France and in the context of commemorating the 150th anniversary of Italian Unity, the Nice Cinémathèque welcomed two filmmakers representative of the new Italian cinema, Piergiorgio Gay and Gianfrancesco Lazzoti.
Piergiorgio Gay presented the film Niente Paura, a documentary which, with the Italian Constitution as a backdrop and through the songs and committed texts of the singer-songwriter, Italian rock icon Luciano Ligabue, traces the last thirty years of Italy’s civil, social, and political history through episodes as dramatic and traumatic.
A look at an alternative Italy that tries to find a language that goes beyond traditional political divisions to try to find a palliative for the current ailments facing Italy.
The evening ended with the screening of the tragicomic film Dalla vita in poi by Gianfrancesco Lazzoti.
Inspired by a true story, his film Dalla vita in poi, whose English version is titled From The Waist On, tells the story of a young woman confined to a wheelchair who falls in love with a man sentenced to 30 years in prison after corresponding with him.
“Katia and Danilo are characters who have no right to project their future together. That’s a bit what the film is about, I believe. It’s a work about the freedom to think and that tells us we can ‘invent’ our life,” claims Gianfrancesco Lazotti, whose work was rewarded three times at the 56th Taormina Film Festival, which took place last June. The characters do not live by the rules. They don’t care. In fact, they have built their own system of rules.”
Giorgio Gosetti, historian of cinema, critic, author, and festival organizer, then invited the public to a meeting with the two filmmakers for a debate on the themes proposed in the films presented, but also to address other topics such as the revival of Italian cinema.
Odile Chapel, Director of the Nice Cinémathèque: “I am delighted with this success. Our theater seats 250 people, and it’s not always easy to fill it. This year’s good result commits us to an even better 2012 edition. Italian cinema is very favored by us and highly appreciated by our audience.”
A beautiful way to close the week of screenings dedicated to new Italian cinema.
by David Ribotti
